For all the latest news from the FIDM Museum

October 28, 2014

Edith Head, costume designer extraordinaire, was born on this day in 1897! Head designed costumes for hundreds of films and dressed some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Kim Novak, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Mae West, and Marlene Dietrich. During her more than fifty years as a costume designer, Head was nominated for thirty-five Academy Awards and received eight. She passed away in 1981, soon after finishing costumes for Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, a Steve Martin parody of a classic film noir.

Born in California, Edith Head spent her early childhood moving frequently between mining camps in Nevada and Mexico. Living in rural areas, Head had few playmates and no siblings. As a child, Head would dress her pets and dolls in fabric scraps. Later in life, Head encourage herself by saying, "anyone who can dress a horn toad, can dress anything!"1 She also learned to speak fluent Spanish, a skill that would prove useful throughout her career.

As a teen, Head and her mother settled in Los Angeles, where Edith graduated from high school. She also went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Berkeley and a master's degree in Romance languages from Stanford University. Putting her language skills to use, Head secured a series of positions teaching languages and drawing at Los Angeles area high schools. During the evening, she took drawing classes at the Otis Art Institute and the Chouinard Art Institute. Eventually, in 1923 or 1924, Head applied for a position as a costume sketcher working under Howard Greer at Famous Players-Lasky Studio (later Paramount). Not confident of her abilities, she "borrowed" sketches from Chouinard classmates for her interview. Though Head soon confessed her deception, Greer kept her on, in part, Head believed, because of her skill with foreign languages.

After getting her start at Famous Players-Lasky, Edith Head began moving up the ladder of success. At first, she primarily designed costumes for background extras. In 1938, when Travis Banton (who had succeeded Howard Greer) left his position, Head was promoted from assistant to chief designer. In the 1940s and 50s, she often had "three hundred sketchers, drapers, cutter and finishers" working on various costume designs.2 As a costume designer, Head tried to accentuate the best features of each actress, while also taking into account the character that the actress was playing. Her costuming skill earned her a role as a trusted commentator; she was often interviewed on fashion for the everyday woman and her name was used to promote everything from shoes and hosiery to ready-to-wear fashions.

Edith Head with three female models. A hand-written note on this image indicates that the photo was taken during the Screen Directors' Fashion Show for the Audrey Hepburn film Funny Face (1957). Head and Hubert de Givenchy both contributed costumes to this film.April 1, 1957Gift of Richard BagleySC2011.1156.27

Edith Head and Grace Kelly look at a sea of fashion sketches. Head costumed Kelly in Rear Window (1954) and designed the ice-blue satin gown that Kelly wore to receive her 1955 Academy Award for The Country Girl (1954).c. 1950-59Gift of Richard BagleySC2011.1156.29

October 25, 2014

Survival of the fashion fittest is the theme of Franco Moschino's (1950-1994) tongue-in-check Survival Jacket. Made from khaki twill, a fabric associated with military uniforms or safari gear, it features a host of clever pockets packed with the tools necessary for life in the rough and tumble urban jungle: mirror, lipstick, mascara, blush, powder compact, nail polish, comb, toothbrush, nail file, and cuticle snippers. Of course, there's also room for what might be the most important items of all: a wallet and credit cards. And just in case the joke isn't clear, "Survival Jacket" is printed on the back in stencil-style lettering. Though clearly mocking those deep in the fashion trenches, the Survival Jacket is just humorous enough to diffuse what would otherwise be a sharp critique of the fashion system.

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Moschino was known for his continual interest in poking fun at the self-importance of the fashion industry. His public statements were often decidedly anti-fashion. In a 1993 interview, he declared: "Fashion is a product of fascism...I really think fashion will not be important in the future. We'll have clothes, but we won't have fashion."1 Born near Milan, Moschino began his career as a fashion illustrator for print publications and other Italian designers, including Gianni Versace. In 1983, he presented his first collection of women's clothing.

From the start, his take on fashion was both humorous and provocative; his first collection featured dresses patterned with tire tracks and candy-box hats. In addition to the Survival Jacket, Moschino's Spring/Summer 1991 collection featured a belt printed with the pun, "Waist of Money." "Stop the Fashion System," was another favorite Moschino slogan, one he used in ad campaigns and printed on garments. For Moschino, humor was a way to force fashion personalities and fashion consumers to consider the role of fashion consumption within a broader social context.

1 Bannon, Lisa. “The Next Decade --- If the Shoe Fits... In the Future, We May All Be Fashionable.” Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition (Feb 3, 1993) R7.

October 21, 2014

Thanks to FIDM Museum Registrar Meghan Hansen for today's post! It features a highlight of our collection: a gown worn by Marlene Dietrich both on-screen and off. Designed by Irene Lentz Gibbons, Dietrich's gown will be on display at the Skirball Cultural Center from October 23 through March 1, 2015.

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The FIDM Museum prides itself on attention to detail, whether it's a new discovery in the history of fashion or getting the color balance just right in our publications. When it comes to the presentation of our collection at outside institutions, we are just as meticulous.

Gown worn by Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair (1948).Loan courtesy of the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks (L88.1.235).

As the Skirball Cultural Center began planning its exhibition Light & Noir: Emigres and Exiles in Hollywood, 1933-1950, curator Doris Berger contacted our Associate Curator Christina Johnson to select a Hollywood costume that fit with the exhibition's theme: the impact of German-speaking exiles and émigrés on the Hollywood film industry. Doris Berger selected this paisley floral evening gown designed by Irene Lentz Gibbons for Marlene Dietrich to wear in A Foreign Affair (1948), a photograph of Dietrich wearing the same gown at a previous USO performance, and a pair of evening pumps worn by Dietrich for stage performance.

A second photograph to be exhibited alongside this luxurious dress shows Dietrich performing with large flowers tucked into the dress' neckline (perhaps an explanation as to why the bodice lining has required extensive stabilization by a conservator). With this styling in mind, FIDM Museum Collection Manager, Carolyn Jamerson, customized a mannequin with padding to fit the dress perfectly.

Carolyn also prepared two bunches of vintage silk flowers to tuck into the neckline, imitating the floral arrangement in Dietrich's performance photographs. To see this photograph on exhibit, visit Light & Noir between October 23, 2014 and March 1, 2015.

I help Christina to carefully steam prop silk flowers for display at the neckline of the gown.

One of many unexpected skills required by fashion museum staff is that of steaming silk flowers. Christina carefully steamed each petal of the flowers so that they looked like new, then used entomological pins to secure the flower bunches to the dress and mannequin padding. Entomological (or bug) pins are ideal for historical garments because they can pass through fabric between the threads of the weave without breaking the fibers. Any intervention used for exhibition installation must not damage the object and must be fully reversible, according to current conservation standards.

Christina secures the floral adornment to the mannequin beneath the dress.

Cooperation between various institutions is an important part of making many educational museum exhibitions possible in Los Angeles, the United States, and internationally. Thank you to the staff at the Skirball Cultural Center for accommodating our specialized installation needs!

October 15, 2014

On Friday, October 10, members of the Western Region of the Costume Society of America gathered in Portland, Oregon for a chance to meet, greet, and talk fashion at the annual regional symposium. Held at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, this year's theme was From the Street to the Catwalk, Cultural Influences on Contemporary Fashion. Presentations explored a range of topics, from Western wear to a genealogy of the tuxedo-wearing woman. Symposium attendees were also treated to a curatorial tour of Fashioning Cascadia: The Social Life of the Garment, an exhibit focusing on the fashion culture of the Pacific Northwest. On the final day of the symposium, attendees explored Portland, including trips to the legendary Powell's Books and the Maryhill Museum, home of the Théâtre de la Mode.

The FIDM Museum was well-represented at this symposium, with presentations by FIDM Museum Registrar Meghan Hansen, and former staffers Ilana Winter and Brenna Barks. Brenna kicked off the symposium with her research on Issey Miyake's early work and Ilana offered an entertaining look at Rockmount Ranch Wear, a historic western wear company. Meghan presented a paper on a long-term project involving an extensive archive of fashion runway photos. Take a peek at this page for a list of the other topics Western Region members explored during the symposium.

In addition to the paper presentations, a highlight of the symposium was the opportunity to experience Fashioning Cascadia. The exhibit featured a concise selection of Pacific Northwest fashion designers working at the intersection of craft and fashion. Curator Sarah Margolis-Piñeo told us that she spent approximately a year and a half planning the exhibition, a process that included visiting the studios of many designers located between Seattle and Portland. The final group included a great mix of design philosophies, from the iconic patterns of the Pendleton Woolen Mills to the work of individual designers working to refine their specific vision of fashion. A full list of designers can be found at the Museum's website. Unfortunately, the exhibition is now closed, though the Museum's website offers a wealth of information, including video interviews with each of the designers featured in Fashioning Cascadia. For those who didn't see this exhibition, check out the images below.

Men's ensemble by Michael Cepress (Seattle, WA) from his 2013 American Dreaming collection.

Anna Cohen for Imperial Stock Ranch (Shaniko, OR). In 2009, the Imperial Stock Ranch began exploring how to better utilize the wool from their farm-raised sheep. Imperial Yarn was born and is now an important corollary to the Ranch's operations. Knitwear designer Anna Cohen collaborated with the Ranch to create garments using wool and leather by-products.

Adam Arnold (Portland, OR) collaborates with clients to create custom, one-of-a-kind garments. These examples of Arnold's work included notes on his collaborative design process.

October 13, 2014

Charles Frederick Worth was born 189 years ago today, on October 13, 1825! Considered the pre-eminent fashion tastemaker of the latter nineteenth-century, Worth labeled his garments, ensuring that his creations were perpetually associated with his name, persona, and aesthetic. He considered himself an artist, often wearing a smock when meeting with clients. Worth's aesthetic was bold and often included the use of large-scale imagery, such as the life-like roses pictured here.

Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) began his ascent to the height of fashion as a draper, selling luxury fabrics in specialty emporiums. He fostered relations with textile middlemen whose valuable connections to the weaving center of Lyon helped him establish a maison de haute couture in 1857. The second half of the nineteenth-century was a busy time for French silk production. Established by royal edict in the fifteenth-century, the industry could boast more than 120,000 looms in operation by the 1870s.1 Worth not only bought pre-woven damasks and velvets supplied to him by firms such as A. Gourd & Cie. and C.V. Bonnet & Cie., but also specially commissioned designs with motifs he admired, including feathers, wheat, and roses. The bolder the patterns and the more striking the color combinations, the better.2

Visitors to Worth's maison passed through multiple display rooms of textiles, culminating in a selection of polychrome silks.3 This eye-catching brocade of fully blooming roses in pinks and yellows on a deep burgundy ground exemplifies the sumptuous creations that made Worth world famous. Once part of an evening or reception gown, this skirt panel is all that remains of the commission made for a "Mrs. Scribner" on her Paris honeymoon in 1878.

October 09, 2014

Evening Jumpsuit Hubert de GivenchyFall/Winter 1968Transfer from The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology97.291.13AB

Hubert de Givenchy (b. 1927) learned his craft by training with some of the most illustrious names in 20th-century haute couture: Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong, and Elsa Schiaparelli. And though Givenchy never formally apprenticed with Balenciaga, the Spanish designer was a valued mentor. Like Balenciaga, Givenchy eschewed novelty and flash for quiet elegance. Givenchy began his training in 1945, launching his first solo collection in 1952. Perhaps mindful of his status as a newcomer, the starting price for Givenchy's first collection was low, about $60. When his debut "proved extremely popular," he immediately raised his base price to $370, still less than other Parisian couturiers.1

At the height of his career he dressed many women of style, including Betsy Bloomingdale, Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn. Givenchy and Hepburn had a particularly fruitful relationship. He not only dressed her in films including Sabrina (1954), Charade (1963), Funny Face (1957) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), he also designed much of her personal wardrobe. Vogue described their sartorial collaborations as igniting a "magical flint-on-steel spark."1

In the late 1960s, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, and Rudi Gernreich were actively opposing the ideals of the haute couture. Though Givenchy was still designing with the haute couture client in mind, this jumpsuit demonstrates that he wasn't entirely immune to the appeal of youthquake fashion. The silhouette, slim, with a removable overskirt, suggests the free-wheeling fashions of the late 1960s, but the craftsmanship and attention to detail are in the best tradition of the haute couture. No throw-away fabrics or shoddy construction here—both bodice and trousers are entirely lined with silk fabric, as is the removable skirt. Crafted from black silk gazar, the jumpsuit features a wrap-around skirt encrusted with decorative embellishment. Meandering flowers, embroidered in multiple shades of pink, have wooly blue/green leaves and tan stems. Negative spaces between flowers and foliage are filled with sequins (both flower-shaped and round) and metallic embroidery stitches. The result is a rich visual feast, the perfect counterpoint to the sleek lines of the black jumpsuit.

October 07, 2014

Support Fashion Council’s efforts to keep The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection intact and at the FIDM Museum by “adopting” an item from the collection. Garments and accessories chosen for adoption from this exceptional collection are likely to be exhibited nationally and internationally. Patrons’ names are perpetually associated with their object and included in its credit line.

With over 1,000 objects, The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collections offers numerous opportunities for adoption. Many objects have already been adopted, including a formal gown worn by Queen Victoria at her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and a c. 1907 Callot Soeurs evening gown worn by internationally famous beauty Consuelo Vanderbilt, the 9th Duchess of Marlborough. Among the objects up for adoption is this shimmering Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel evening dress of silk chiffon and netting hand-embroidered with thousands of black glass bugle beads.

For more information about this unique opportunity to support the FIDM Museum, contact the curatorial office: kjones@FIDMmuseum.org or 213.623.5821.

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971) began her fashion career just before the outbreak of World War I, a time when the ideal female physique was undergoing a dramatic transformation. Curvaceous figures cinched with corsets were out—replaced by slim, boyish bodies. Chanel based her revolutionary haute couture on her own cutting-edge wardrobe. The clothing she sold appealed to newly active, independent women like herself.

This evening dress features thousands of bugle beads hand-embroidered on silk chiffon and netting in Chanel’s favorite color: black. Being sleeveless and short-hemmed, it was meant to reveal a woman’s toned and suntanned body. A lengthy beaded tassel hangs to one side; it imparted a sense of movement with the wearer’s every step or sway. On October 1, 1926, American Vogue included a drawing of a similar short black dress designed by Chanel with the caption: “Here is a Ford signed ‘Chanel.’” In aligning her design with the best-selling automobile, Vogue imparted a sense of reliability and functionality to the deluxe style. This evening dress is one of the earliest extant examples of Chanel’s classic “Little Black Dress,” a variation of which she included in every subsequent collection and a staple of every modern woman’s wardrobe to this day.

October 03, 2014

Associate Curator Christina Johnson recently traveled to the Fashion Museum in Bath, England, where she spent a week researching museum founder Doris Langley Moore, thanks to receiving a travel grant from the Costume Society of America.

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My interest in scholar, fashion collector, and museum founder Doris Langley Moore began when I was a young girl discovering the world of fashion history. I stumbled upon her 1949 book, The Woman in Fashion, on one of my many treks to the library. The book includes photographs of Moore’s famous friends wearing her private collection of antique clothing and accessories. I was transfixed by her beautiful styling of the models and couldn’t get enough of her erudite writing.

Little did I know I would have ample opportunity to ‘get to know’ Doris in my work at the FIDM Museum. Just over a decade ago, we received a donation of nineteenth-century clothing from the estate of Helen Larson, a Whittier, California-based collector. I recognized some of the items had been photographed in The Woman in Fashion, including this Victorian silk brocade gown. I had a hunch that Helen must have purchased these items directly from Doris. But I couldn’t prove it at that time.

In 2010, the FIDM Museum began a fundraising campaign to acquire the remainder of Helen Larson’s private collection—The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection. In addition to amazing garmentsand accessories, the collection includes Helen Larson’s personal collecting archive—letters, notes, auction records, and photographs. Poring over the archive, I was so excited to find hundreds of letters written between Helen and Doris spanning over 20 years, tracking not only hundreds of purchases, but a relationship that developed from matter-of-fact business transactions into a treasured friendship. And yes, they proved Helen purchased almost all of the garments and accessories presented in The Woman in Fashion!

I was the grateful recipient of the 2014 Costume Society of America Travel Research Grant, which I used to support a week of research at the Fashion Museum in Bath, founded by Doris Langley Moore in 1963 as The Museum of Costume. Doris donated a collection of historic fashion to the city of Bath with the understanding that council members would utilize the city’s recently remodeled Assembly Rooms to house a costume museum. Although she was never officially the curator, she continued to acquire donations for the museum into the late 1970s. Letter from Doris Langley Moore to Museum of Costume staff member, 15 Aug 1969. Courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Thanks to Fashion Museum Manager Rosemary Harden and Collections Assistant Elaine Uttley, I had full access to the Museum’s institutional archives, and focused on letters written by and to Doris, object accession cards from the original donation, object and installation photographs, newspaper clippings, and exhibition files. I found this wonderful Picture Post magazine, with the cover girl wearing our 1850s gown!

The magazine dates to an era when people did not understand the conservation issues arising from wearing antique fashion intended for preservation. The article includes a portrait of Doris cataloging items in the collection.

I know what it’s like to plan exhibitions—in addition to the research involved, when I curate a project, I spend hours designing the space, selecting mounts, and arranging objects to tell a story. There is usually a lot of scratch paper involved, more messy handwriting than I care to admit, and also doodling! Doris did the same thing for her first installation at The Museum of Costume, as can be seen in this notebook she kept to document the process. The different mannequin groups are being arranged by theme on this page.

These documents are not digitized yet, so I spent a lot of time with my digital camera as I looked through the papers, taking photos to be carefully read over later.

Christina researching at the Fashion Museum.

Are you interested to know who took this photo of me hard at work? FIDM Museum Curator Kevin Jones, who accompanied me on the trip and was an amazing research assistant! There’s no way I could have made my way through all of the materials without him. Thanks!

Finding mannequins with bodies and demeanors appropriate for eighteenth-and nineteenth-century fashion can be challenging. In an era in which the specialized Kyoto mannequin had not been invented, Doris resorted to utilizing period partial-wax mannequins, as can be seen in this newspaper article with 1890s wax figures.

Doris Langey Moore had a brilliant mind and a dynamic personality that came across loud and clear in her many letters. But historic fashion was only one of her many fascinations: she was also interested in the theatre, was a jewelry collector, novelist, and a well-known Lord Byron scholar (she even married on his grave!). She brought curiosity and passion to all of her projects, qualities I aspire to bring to a long-term project I am embarking upon: her biography.

September 30, 2014

This diadem of human hair ornamented with gold and semiprecious stones appears to be a one-of-a-kind accessory. Such a unique headpiece was surely made for a specific person, either from her own hair or from that of a loved one. The use of hair to craft tokens of friendship, love, or mourning goes back centuries and took many forms, including: earrings, necklaces, brooches, rings, or, in this case, a headdress. The wired shape and metallurgic techniques of the golden appliqué at center suggest this diadem dates to the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Its floral symbolism and stone selection signify that it was worn at a time of mourning: the thorny acanthus leaves set with a mauve garnet connote the pain of separation at death, the turquoise-mounted flowers on either side are forget-me-nots, and the pearl trimmed buds represent the tears of the gods.1

This diadem was donated to the FIDM Museum along with its accompanying white satin case. Made for this piece, the case is stamped with the name of the jeweler who created it: Bolognese & Son, Bologna, Italy. Though some hairwork was created by amateur practitioners, the more sophisticated pieces were typically created by jewelers who offered hairwork as part of a larger array of adornments. Even if we didn't have the case, the quality of the workmanship and the precious embellishment of this diadem would suggest that it was the work of a skilled jeweler.

For jewelers, hairwork was a logical, and lucrative, extension of their main business. Hair, the primary component, could be purchased relatively cheaply in major US cities or from European capitals. Once a stock of hair was acquired, inexpensive metals were used as dimensional foundations for intricate adornments. The diadem pictured here features a criss-cross pattern of woven hair carefully stretched over a wire frame. Embellishment of gold or semi-precious stones added additional expense, but this cost was within the means of well-to-do customers.

For those brave souls who wanted to try their hand at creating their own hairwork remembrance, instructional manuals provided diagrams, charts, and detailed directions. The nineteenth-century manual below also offers a catalog of metal frames for creating earrings, bracelets, and other hairwork jewelry. It even includes tips on creating false hairpieces!

September 27, 2014

Madame Grès (1903-1993) made no effort to create a cult of personality around her work. Instead, she was purposely obtuse, often providing opaque answers to questions about her early career and education. The evolution of her name is but one example of this mindset. Born Germaine Emilie Krebs in Paris, she was known professionally as Mademoiselle Alix, Alix, and Alix Barton before becoming Madame Grès in the early 1940s. This name was adopted from her husband, a painter named Serge Anatolievitch Czerefkow, who signed his works Gres. The couple married in 1937 and had one daughter (Anne) in 1939. Though they never divorced, Czerefkow made his home in Tahiti, while Madame Grès lived and worked in Paris throughout her lifetime.

As a child, Madame Grès hoped to become a sculptor, an ambition not supported by her parents, Instead, she trained as a dressmaker, probably working as an in-house milliner at the Parisian department store Au Bon Marché and later as a designer for the Premet couture house. Her interest in sculpture is evident in her work, with early designs featuring drapes, twists, and gathers that suggest the garments portrayed in classical statuary. Madame Grès also drew inspiration from untailored garments like the sari and kimono.

Like Madeleine Vionnet, Madame Grès preferred to create her designs by draping fabric on a small wooden mannequin. An observer described her process as something of a battle between designer and medium: "When one works with a fabric and not a pencil there are no laws...sometimes the fabric dominates her, sometimes she dominates the fabric."1 This painstaking design process demonstrated Madame Grès commitment to the haute couture. Though she dabbled in ready-to-wear, producing several short-lived lines, she was always dedicated to the careful craftsmanship necessary in create a couture garment. Making garments that could easily be reproduced in mass quantities was of little interest to Madame Grès.

The shocking pink, asymmetrical dress pictured here dates from the latter years of Madame Grès distinguished career. Though much of Madame Grès' work used the body as a foundation to explore the possibilities of twisting, draping, and pleating fabric, this cocoon-like dress almost ignores the body. An exploration of form, the dress displays a titillating amount of leg, a revelation aligned with late 1960s fashion. No zippers or buttons mar the lines of the dress. Instead, Madame Grès placed a line of hidden snaps at the shoulder, a natural breaking point for any garment.